Fred Upton



Frederick Stephen Upton, has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives  since 1987, representing Michigan's 6th District which stretches along the Michigan-Indiana border and is based in Kalamazoo and St. Joseph (map). He is generally considered a moderate Republican.

Iraq War
Upton voted for the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 that started the Iraq War.

Environmental record
For more information on environmental legislation, see the Energy and Environment Policy Portal

Barton-Rush Act of 2006
In 2006 Upton cosponsored the Communications Opportunity Promotion and Enhancement Act of 2006 with Reps. Joe Barton (R-TX), Bobby Rush (D-IL), and Chip Pickering (R-MS). The COPE Act or "Barton-Rush" bill would allow major telephone companies to compete with cable television companies. It has also been widely critized for making net neutrality impossible, which could possibly lead to a multi-tiered Internet where some websites would move and load faster if they pay an additional fee to providers like Verizon and Comcast.

The leading proponents of the COPE Act have been Verizon, Comcast, SBC Communications, Time Warner, and AT&T. Upton has a potential conflict of interest as he owns dividends in a number of these companies. Upton owns between $1,000-$15,000 in dividends in SBC, AT&T, Comcast, and Verizon. In a trust that Upton does not control he owns between $15,000-$50,000 of dividends in SBC and between $1,000-$15,000 in dividends of Verizon.

The telephone utilities companies have been Upton's 11th largest donor over his career contributing $135,070 since 1989. During the current 2006 election cycle Upton has received $26,250 from the telephone companies making him the 17th highest recipient of telephone company largesse.

Controversy with FreedomWorks and Joe Barton
In November 2010, Upton found himself in a scuffle with the astroturf group, FreedomWorks, which accused him of being "far out of step with the Tea Party movement, the GOP and the American people as a whole." The scuffle was related to the chairmanship of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Upton was competing with Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas), a global warming denier who is fully aligned with the oil and gas industry - receiving $1,482,630 in lifetime contributions, and apologizing to British Petroleum after the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Upton, who has acknowledged the existence of human-caused global warming, proved a threat to FreedomWorks, who proceeded to launch a "Down With Upton" campaign, in an attempt to unseat Barton. They launched a website, whose mission was to "attack 'Big Government Republican Fred Upton' for a record 'full of votes for more regulation, more spending, and more taxes.'”

Climate Change
In early January 2011, after becoming House Energy and Commerce Committee chair, Fred Upton coauthored a Wall Street Journal op-ed with Tim Phillips, the president of Americans for Prosperity, an astroturf front group started by oil billioniare David Koch and Richard Fink (a member of the board of directors of Koch Industries). AFP was involved in the attacks on Obama’s "green jobs" czar, Van Jones, and has crusaded against international climate talks. The op-ed was about new EPA regulations to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Upton and Phillips wrote that the EPA "presumes that carbon is a problem in need of regulation. We are not convinced." They also said the carbon regulation rules are "an unconstitutional power grab that will kill millions of jobs." Koch Industries was among Upton's top contributors in the 2010 election cycle, along with several other energy companies.

In the past, Upton has advocated taking action on global warming: "I strongly believe that everything must be on the table as we seek to reduce carbon emissions," he once stated on his website, which has since been removed. Following the 2010 Tea Party-aided Republican takeover of the House and a heated fight for the chairmanship of the energy and commerce committee, Upton's position on climate change has veered closer to those of global warming skeptics. Upton is considering the idea of using the Congressional Review Act to block the EPA's new regulations on greenhouse gas emissions, in which Congress can overturn regulations from the executive branch within 60 days of their publication in the Federal Register, although the President retains the right to veto.

Background
Born in St. Joseph on April 23, 1953, Upton earned a B.A. in Journalism in 1975 from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He served in the Office of Management and Budget under Ronald Reagan from 1981-85.

Congressional Career
A protege of OMB director and former congressman David Stockman, he ran in the Republican primary against Stockman's successor in what was then the 4th District. He won, and was handily elected in November. He has been reelected nine times. His district was renumbered as the 6th District after the 1990 census caused Michigan to lose two seats.

2006 elections
In 2006, the Democrats nominated Kim L. Clark to face Upton in his November 2006 bid for reelection. (See U.S. congressional elections in 2006) Upton retained his seat.

Positions and Views
Upton is often described as the "Ironman of the House." He has never missed a vote in 18 years in Congress. He has earned a reputation as a leader and a dealmaker, helping to guide a powerful bloc of moderate congressmen in unison, playing influential roles in a number of tax relief and budget matters. He is a strong proponent of stem cell research.

Despite his willingness to buck the right leaning House leadership (he harshly criticized Newt Gingrich for his failure to compromise with Bill Clinton in the 1995 budget crisis), his down to earth demeanor and frequent greeting of "call me Fred" when referred to as "Congressman" has earned him the respect and admiration of his fellow Representatives, staff, and members of the public affairs community.

In the 109th Congress, Upton serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. He is chairman of the Telecommunications and the Internet Subcommittee, and also serves on the Health Subcommittee.

In 2002 he defeated former State Senator Dale Shugars in a contested primary. Upton was criticized for his views on abortion as well as his support for some forms of gun control.

Money in politics
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Committees

 * House Committee on Energy and Commerce
 * Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality
 * Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet - Ranking Member

Committee assignments in the 109th Congress (2005-2006)

 * House Committee on Energy and Commerce
 * Subcommittee on Commerce Trade and Consumer Protection
 * Subcommittee on Health
 * Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet - Chair

Coalitions and Caucuses

 * Co-Vice Chair, Congressional Automotive Caucus
 * Congressional Caucus on India and India Americans
 * Congressional Competitiveness Caucus
 * Congressional Fire Services Caucus
 * Congressional Grace Caucus
 * Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus
 * Congressional Travel and Tourism Caucus
 * Diabetes Caucus
 * House Centrist Coalition
 * Medical Technology Caucus

Boards and other Affiliations

 * Emil Verban Society
 * Founder, Co-Chair, Tuesday Group

Contact
DC Office: 2183 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515-2206 Phone: 202-225-3761 Fax: 202-225-4986 Web Email Website

District Office- Kalamazoo: 157 South Kalamazoo Mall, Suite 180 Kalamazoo, MI 49006-4828 Phone: 269-385-0039 Fax: 269-385-2888

District Office- St. Joseph: 800 Ship Street, Suite 106 St. Joseph, MI 49085-1124 Phone: 269-982-1986 Fax: 269-982-0237

Resources

 * Official website
 * Open Secrets - 2006 congressional races database

Local blogs and discussion sites

 * Michigan Liberal's 6th CD Section
 * West Michigan Politics

Articles & Commentary

 * Ken Thomas, "Upton supports Iraq resolution," Associated Press (mlive.com), February 14, 2007.